Keep Calm and Fly Fish

October 25th marked the first fall rain spell of the year and saying it poured would be an understatement. A record breaking 5 inches of rain in a single day was measured for the Sacramento area flooding the valley with much needed precipitation. All of the local rivers received a nice flush washing away the nasties like algae and silt and bringing in the goodies, salmon.

The bomb cyclone blew out the Yuba River with flows of up to +10,000 CFS. I’ve fished the Yuba a few times since the blow out and the fishing has been fair. A lot of other anglers seem to have the Yuba on their minds as well as the river has been pretty crowded. The salmon that were stuck downstream due the drought are now scattered throughout the Yuba and the word is out that the native rainbows are on eggs. The egg bite attracts a lot of people and with so many people on the water the fishing can be tough especially on super bright sunny days. My strategy on foot is to either hit the best water before anyone else does in the morning or fish spots that are overlooked. I’ve managed to hook into several fish throughout the day but had to work hard to find them. Most of the fish were taken on egg patterns but I’ve had some grabs on BWO nymphs and Jimmy Leg Stones.

There’s usually a good BWO hatch this time of year in the morning and noon but I have a feeling they were flushed down during the bomb cyclone. I’ve seen a few BWOs come off at noon but haven’t seen any fish looking up for them. The river is still a bit tinted but getting clearer and clearer with each passing day. Hopefully once it clears the fish will start looking up and we can get into some decent dry fly fishing.

I was finally able to explore the rest of the Yuba River below Hammond Grove down to Daguerre Dam with my Alpacka raft during one of my trips. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of good water below Hammond Grove at lower >800CFS flows but the fact that most of it doesn’t receive a lot of pressure makes it a good alternative for when the river is crowded.

The Yuba River is home to some of the best tailwater dry fly fishing in California. Winter is typically the best month for fishing dries as BWOs, PMDs, and skwalas make their appearance. As the weather warms in the spring march browns and caddis become the main fare. Summers can be hot and dry in the valley but the fish in the Yuba can still be tricked into rising for a hopper during the day or caddis in the evening. Fall is probably the least productive season for dry fly fishing on the Yuba as the fish tend to focus more on salmon eggs but the evening caddis hatch and overcast BWO days are good times to try and rise a few fish.

I’m a bit of a dry fly opportunist and won’t tie on a dry unless I see consistent rising or fishing somewhere where I know the fish will rise to anything. They say trout feed 90% of the time underwater so I try to stick with the scientific evidence rather than try to make something that may or may not happen. I understand the thrill of seeing a fish eat on top but realistically I know that the best way to catch them is on bottom.

The Yuba River this year is experiencing drought conditions which is great for fishing but bad overall for the state of California. In the case of the Yuba River lower flows means better access which extends the fishing season past spring when flows are typically raised to +2,000 CFS to meet agricultural demands. At this time the flows are around 1400 CFS which is very fishable but not crossable.

The dry fly bite has been great and I’ve been able to consistently rise fish each day that I’ve been out. There seems to be a few specific runs that have rising fish so if you’re out there keep and eye out for risers for the chance to get them on a dry. The best bug that I’ve had luck with have been march browns however I’ve seen yellow sallies and caddis emerging although I’ve yet to hook any fish on them.

It seems as though each time I’ve been on the Yuba there has been a relatively strong westward wind blowing upstream. This made presenting my dry fly difficult as the tippet would blow upstream and create a bend in my leader. From my experience the fish on the Yuba will not take a fly where they can see the leader before the fly. A modified reach cast, casting lower, or angling myself downstream was able to solve this annoyance.

I’ve taken my kiddo out with me a few times and he’s been a pretty good fishing buddy letting me get a few minutes of casting time before wanting out to play in the water. We’ve managed to land a fish each of our visits and he’s been ecstatic about seeing, touching, and releasing the fishies. It’s nice to have such a pristine piece of water nearby that everyone can enjoy.